Free Essay

Honey & Honey Products

In:

Submitted By NancyCassey
Words 1629
Pages 7
Honey & Honey Products Business Plan

Nancy L. Barlow

Salem International University

Marketing Management

January 26 ,2014

Contents

Outline 3

Company Mission Statement 3

Introduction of the Product/Service 3

Target Market 4

Competition (Direct and Indirect) 5

Pricing Structure 5

Distribution 5

Sales Forecasting 6

Action Plan 7

Production 9

Summary 10

References 11

Outline

The objective of the current report is to prepare a business plan for a company, Honey and Honey Products, selling the same. The report will include description of the company, its products and services offered. It will provide a detailed analysis of the target market, demographics and reason behind choosing them. Direct and indirect competitor analysis will help in determining present risks and future opportunities in the target market. A comprehensive marketing plan, including budgeting and sales forecasting, will facilitate analysing the strengths of the business plan in short-term as well as long-term objectives and goal fulfilments. Distribution strategy for market penetration will be established and the production process of Honey and Honey Products will be discussed in detail.

Company Mission Statement

The mission statement for the company will be:

“To source, distribute as well as sell the best quality honey and honey substitutes with continuous commitment of incorporating an ethical and sustainable growth and development, increasing stakeholder’s value and promoting best corporate practices that respects the environment and Earth.”

Introduction of the Product/Service

Natural honey is a very popular and liked sweetener with several benefits. It also possesses many health benefits. As a result, honey and honey products are preferred by millions of customers across the globe (Murphy, et al., 2000). The company deals with the sourcing, production, distribution and selling of honey and its associated products.

The various honey variants of the brand are as follows;

• Clover Honey

• Creamed Honey

• Buckwheat Honey

• Blueberry honey

• Golden Honey

• Orange Honey

• Pulp fruity Honey

• Organic Honey

Apart from being packaged in Fibre and Glass bottles, honey is also encased in various other forms, making it more attractive and lucrative. Honey is available in the form of straw bundles, sticks and smaller sachets, for immediate and smaller usages and even in cup cakes. Besides eateries, the company also manufactures and distributes honey products such as, honey candles, colourful honey sticks, bee pollen, honey baskets and beeswax. In order to increase its customer base, the company also sells gift packages of honey and associated products at attractive prices (Pettigrew, Whittington & Thomas, 2006).

Target Market

Honey And Honey Products will be targeted as a natural and daily choice among its customers. As a result, the target customer base will include all population and demographics within the age group of 10-70 years. However, different strategies will be applied to target different customer segments. For instance, mothers and housewives will be the prime target in the mass population as they are the major decision makers, in terms of groceries and daily eateries (CBI, 2011). The premium honey products such as, Organic Honey, will be targeted at high-end families and working professionals. Other niche target groups will be senior citizens of the age group 50-70 years and children of the age group 10-15 years.

Honey products such as, candles, sticks and gift packs, will be targeted at families and young customers on different festive occasions as well as general options for gifting. Overall, the target market will be set to make Honey and Honey Products a daily food item.

Competition (Direct and Indirect)

Sourcing of honey is an easy task. There is a traditional procedure for souring honey from the beehive and is cheaply available in various regions. As a result, barriers to entry are low and a lot of companies are into manufacturing and selling honey (Williams & Cutis, 2012). The direct competitors of Honey and Honey Products are Honey Company, Local Harvest and Dutch gold honey. The company is in stiff competition with the above three competitors, in terms of revenue, market share as well as customer base. Both Honey Company as well as Dutch gold company has an established base of suppliers as well as customers.

Apart from direct competitors, the company also faces indirect competition from various honey substitutes. The various honey substitutes include maple syrup, rice syrup, corn syrup, molasses and agave nectar. All these products are naturally sourced and act as an effective and nutritional sweetener. Many individuals are allergic to honey and associated products and prefer safer honey substitutes. Nevertheless, most of the honey substitutes are not available in regular grocery stores and even these substitutes might have allergic properties. As a result, the market share of substitute products of honey is very little (Scarborough & Kydd, 1992).

Pricing Structure

Marketing organisations in the honey market usually fix the pricing unilaterally, setting their own pricing and selling volumes according to their abilities and interest. Pricing structure of the company will depend on various factors such as, sourcing costs, purchasing costs, marketing, competition as well as profit margins (Haberberg & Rieple, 2008). Since the major competitor for Honey and Honey Products is Honey Company, pricing strategy is made with the objective of levelling with the competitor. The pricing structure will also include transportation costs as well as cost of raw materials. The growth in pricing has remained almost constant and has slowed down over the years. Honey is a cheaply available product and mostly consumed in raw form. Therefore, the price growth is constant.

Distribution

At present, Honey and Honey Products offers its products and services in UK. The firm has more than 1000 distributors spread over United Kingdom. The company also distributes to bigger corporate accounts such as, retail chains, hyper markets and bigger grocery stores. The target distribution demography will include both sub-urban and urban regions across UK. Customers to be targeted will be of upper and middle class background. The campaigning of the brand will be at a national level. To ensure wide distribution and maximum availability of Honey and Honey Products, the products will be placed in major consumer food outlets such as, supermarkets, hypermarkets and grocery stores (Batt & Liu, 2012). Regular inspection and monitoring from firm employees will ensure maximum availability. The company will also drive incentivised distribution, so that maximum placement of product is achieved.

Sales Forecasting

The sales forecasting has been presented for one year.

|Sales Forecasts (2014 Q4 - 2015 Q3) |
|Service |Unit Cost (£) |Units Sold Yearly |Gross Sales (£) |
|Creamed Honey |25.00 |120 |3000.00 |
|Buckwheat Honey |35.00 |120 |4200.00 |
|Blueberry honey |30.00 |60 |1800.00 |
|Golden Honey |45.00 |60 |2700.00 |
|Orange Honey |50.00 |70 |3500.00 |
|Pulp fruity Honey |55.00 |100 |5500.00 |
|Organic Honey |60.00 |45.00 |2700.00 |
|Clover Honey |35.00 |100.00 |3500.00 |
|Honey gift packs |150.00 |75.00 |11250.00 |
|Total Sales |750 |38150.00 |

Action Plan

The action plan will include marketing and communication activities followed by Honey and Honey Products for a certain time period.

|Activities |Time Frame (months) |
| |Jan |Feb |
|Outdoor advertising |January - September |4,000 |
|Print and magazine and advertising |February- April |3,000 |
|Tie-up with branded retail chains |February – June |4,000 |
|digital and online advertising |March-June |3,000 |
|Television and radio Advertising |March- June |3,000 |
|In-store sampling |January -June |3,000 |
|Events |February - April |3, 000 |
|Pilot survey |August- September |2,000 |
| |Proposed Budget |22,000 |

Production

Raw honey is extracted from honey combs found in the tropical forests. There are various procedures for extracting honey from the comb. It can either be done traditionally or through mechanical equipments. Honey and Honey Products use advanced techniques for honey production. The various steps can be divided as follows;

• Site selection as well as obtaining bees- Honey and Honey Products chooses the best and most hygienic sites for selecting and obtaining bees. Special treatment is given to the bee hives in order to protect them from winter winds and pollution and only those hives are selected which follow the right criteria.

• Honey sourcing- In this step the flavour and colour influences the type of honey to be sources.

• Processing and harvesting honey- Once the bees cap honey, it is considered as ripe and the honey is then harvested and processed. After processing, it is kept is dry sealed containers in warm environment or inside freezers, till it is marketed.

• Management- Once the honey is sourced through various equipments such as, extractor, rotator and extracting pump, proper management is required for healthy production environment. The company also involves regular inspection to keep track of the facilities.

• Pest management- The production process also involves pest management such as, taking care of other pests (like, mice and skunks), which are common in these production places.

Summary

The current report had aimed at establishing a business plan for Honey and Honey Products. The business plan will help in changing consumer perception towards Honey and Honey Products. The action plan will include strategic advertising and communication activities in order to promote the brand and establish sustainable competitive advantage for the firm.

References

Batt, P. J. & Liu, A. (2012). Consumer behaviour towards honey products in Western Australia. British Food Journal, 114(2), 285 - 297

CBI, 2011. Trade structure and channels for honey. Retrieved from http://www.cbi.eu/system/files/marketintel/2011_Trade_structure_and_channels_for_honey.pdf

Haberberg, A. & Rieple, A. (2008). Strategic Management. Oxford University Press: New York.

Murphy, M., Cowan, C., Henchion, M. & Reilly, S. O. (2000). Irish consumer preferences for honey: a conjoint approach. British Food Journal, 102(8), 585 – 598

Pettigrew, A. M., Whittington, R. & Thomas, H. (2006). Handbook of strategy and management. California: SAGE.

Scarborough, V. & Kydd, J. (1992). Economic Analysis of Agricultural Markets: A Manual. Chatham, U.K: Natural Resources Institute.

Williams, J. & Cutis, T. (2012). Marketing management in practice. London: Routledge.

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Medical Use of Honey Bee Products

...Medical Use of Honey Bee Products Apitherapy is the use of honey bee products in treating illnesses and diseases. Apis means “bee” while “therapy” is a treatment intended to relieve or heal a disorder. The different products derived from the beehive which can be used in apitherapy are: honey, pollen, propolis, venom, wax and royal jelly. Being from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds, we all have been exposed to honey bees and their products in unique ways. Despite our differences, collectively, we share great interest in the application of honey, bee venom (BV) and propolis in contemporary medicinal practices. In the following paragraphs each member shares their personal exposure with bees and why they have an interest in the medicinal use of BV. Mai As a young boy, my father intentionally interfered with bees in order to get stung. Now, being an adult, he is immune to bee stings, showing no signs of inflammation after a bee sting. The first time I got stung by a bee I was 7 years old. It hurt so badly and one thing was sure: “I would not walk in my father’s footsteps, when it comes to the subject bee stings.” In university, a classmate mentioned that BV contains certain chemicals which are beneficial to multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Although my first experience was unpleasant, I started to believe that bees can be useful. Good story: it reveals the sources of your curiosities and it draws out social issues. Morayo “They sting! Keep away!” this was my...

Words: 2002 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Book Summary: August Boatwright

...August lives in Tiburon, South Carolina, where she makes a living beekeeping and selling honey-based products. She is originally from Richmond, Virginia, where worked as a housekeeper for Lily's mother, Deborah. She got her degree from a teacher's college and taught history for six years up north before moving down to Tiburon to start her beekeeping/honey business. August Boatwright is a strong, charismatic, and enormously wise woman. August raises bees and runs her own business selling honey and beeswax products, and she also acts as a surrogate mother to Lily Owens for much of the novel. Unbeknownst to Lily, August worked as a maid for Deborah Fontanel Owens years before, and considers it her duty to take care of Lily when she...

Words: 573 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Airborne Honey

...Interview Q&A   I. Why did Emart choose to import Manuka honey? a. In recent years, consumers have been increasingly aware of the quality of the honeys they are buying in the market, and they are increasingly demanding quality and credibility. Because of this, New Zealand’s Manuka honey has been gaining in popularity, and we wanted to be able to give our customers a high quality, healthy honey like Manuka at affordable prices. b. Before Emart imported Manuka Honey, Korean consumers couldn’t buy affordable Manuka Honey in any supermarkets.   II. So why did Emart choose to import from Airborne Honey as its first Manuka Honey? a. We chose Airborne Honey because of their credibility in two main areas: i. Airborne Honey is New Zealand’s oldest honey company at 102 years old. ii. Airborne Honey has a great quality control system, where they focus on 3 specific points: 1. They test exactly how much pollen is in every batch, and guarantee all honeys meet international CODEX standards (UN FAO/WHO guidelines). 2. Airborne Honey uses a patented system that produces undamaged, natural honeys with extremely low heat damage. 3. Airborne Honey has a very detailed traceability system, where they can tell customers exactly where their honey came from---and pinpoint it on a map of New Zealand a. For example, instead of saying a general location, such as “Your honey came from the Seoul area of Korea, Airborne could say that this particular jar of honey came from beehives on the backside of the King Sejong...

Words: 380 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Bakoboy Honey Will Have a Total of Ten Entities. These Include:

...Consumer: This will be all of our consumers that have either purchased our honey products or called for our beekeeping service. This entity will include the Consumers First Name, Last Name, and their Address in order to keep track of where they are ordering from. The location of the ConsumerCounty is important because it will determine from which county the honey they will receive is going to come from and also, which beekeeper to send out if they choose to hire our beekeeping service. This entity will also include the consumer’s Phone Number and Email Address in case we have to call them about their order or if we decide to send out newsletters and coupons by email. Finally, this entity will identify each consumer with a unique ConsumerID. Vendor: The attributes in this entity will compile a list of all the beekeepers we subcontract in order to supply our honey. These will include the beekeeper’s VendorName, VendorAddress, and Vendor PhoneNumber in case we have to contact them via mail or phone call. However, mainly we will need their VendorEmail and which VendorCounty they are operating in. Furthermore, we will identify these Vendors with their VendorID, and more importantly which ColonyID they are operating. Service: This entity will include only two attributes, which include ServiceID to identify which service (beekeeping) we have performed and in which ServiceCounty the service was located in. Equipment: Equipment entity will include a list of all the equipment used...

Words: 720 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Sci-228 Wk2 Ilabe

...Japan in 1965-1970. High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a fructose/glucose liquid sweetener substitute for sucrose common table sugar, first introduced to the food and beverage industry in the 1970s. There is not much different in the composition or metabolism of other fructose/glucose sweeteners like sucrose (sugar), honey, and concentrated fruit juices. HFCS was broadly accepted by food designers, its use grew between the mid-1970s and mid-1990s as an alternative for sugar. HFCS instantly proved itself as an alternative to sugar in liquid applications because of its salability in acidic foods and beverages. HFCS it is syrup, and can be pumped from delivery vehicles to storage and mixing tanks, requiring only simple dilution before use. This ingredient derived from corn a dependable, renewable, and abundant agricultural raw material within the US Midwest, HFCS has remained insusceptible from price and availability limitations of sucrose (ajcn.nutrition.org). HFCS was so readily accepted by the food industry and enjoyed such spectacular growth. The carbohydrate compositions of the most common nutritive sweeteners are listed in table 1. The 2 most important HFCS products of...

Words: 758 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Clostridium Botulinum Journal Review

...& SANITATION INFANT BOTULISM IN HONEY By: Angela Indryana (03420100086) Zefanya Tjokrodiredjo (03420100087) FOOD TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT FACULTY OF INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY UNIVERSITAS PELITA HARAPAN KARAWACI 2012 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Honey is a natural food, mainly composed of a complex mixture of carbohydrates and other minor substances, such as organic acids, amino acids, proteins, minerals, vitamins, and lipids. It has two sources of contamination with microorganisms: primary sources include pollen, the digestive tracts of honey bees, dust, air, soil and nectar; secondary sources are those arising from honey manipulation by people, they include air, food handlers, cross-contamination, equipment and buildings. Spores of Clostridium botulinum may be found in honey, usually at low levels. C. botulinum spores are found in soil and dust and hence, can contaminate different agricultural products. Honey is a recognized vehicle for C. botulinum spores. The presence of spores of Clostridium is especially dangerous for infants and small children. Although the high sugar content, low pH, low protein concentration, and the existence of different oxidases and other antimicrobial substances in honey may cause the spores unable to germinate and grow in the product, the microenvironment may remain anaerobic as a consequence of high viscosity. Yet existing spores may not be removed from honey or destroyed without spoiling the product, thus they may be present indefinitely...

Words: 1480 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Honeyland

...international market only. I. Background of the Study New Zealand honey is positioned as a health promoting product, using New Zealand’s clean and green image. The company strategically targets quality-conscious customers, especially those who have been to New Zealand for a holiday and know its spectacular landscape. The owner of Honeyland, Sue a trained school teacher, became aware of the good reputation and health benefits of New Zealand Honey early on. In the 1970’s she raised a young family while keeping bees in the few beehives in the back of her garden around the family home. Her interest in Japan and Japanese culture grew during visits when she accompanied her husband, a successful wool merchant, on his business trip. Soon Sue started looking for a business idea that would enable her to visit Japan on a regular basis without having to depend on her husband. The hobbies of producing honey grow into a business idea. Honeyland’s market can be distinguished into three different segments. One third of the business comes from sales through supermarket chain that operates a fixed price strategy. Quality branded is sold at a discount. Another third of her business involves supplying a Japanese honey company with New Zealand comb honey. This company segment of honeyland’s business drives from sales to a firm that is associated with Japan Travel Business. Honeyland products are available...

Words: 1271 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

Week2 - Ilab

...The Monk Fruit Rebecca Rasmussen DeVry University The Monk Fruit Siraitia grosvenorii is an herbaceous perennial vine of the Cucurbitaceous (bitter gourds) family should not be mistaken for purple mangosteen, The plant is cultivated for its pulp and made into an extract that is 300 times sweeter than cane or beet sugar with almost zero calories and has been used as a natural sweetener native to southern China and northern Thailand for thousands of years. In those regions is has been known to treat obesity, diabetes, heat stroke and throat infections. It’s also called “Buddha fruit “, “Longevity fruit” or “Luo han guo”. Monk fruit is not commonly used fresh because it doesn’t keep well and has offensive aromas and flavors; it’s generally dried which gives it another unsatisfactory taste and smell. Even though it’s natural nauseating taste and small native still sometimes eat it fresh or dried, the rind and pulp, steeped in hot water will make a soothing tea for sore throats Through modern processing techniques those unpleasant issues can now be removed Research suggests that monk fruit is high in antioxidants. It may have some positive effects on preventing cancer. It has also been shown to reduce the effects of Epstein-Barr virus. The carbohydrates from monk fruit are largely glucose and fructose. The US FDA (Food and Drug Administration has rated the monk fruit and its extracts as GRAS (Generally Regarded As Safe). Marketed...

Words: 530 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

King Corn Summary

...“King Corn” is a documentary film by Aaron Woolf in October 2006, following two college friends,  Ian Cheney and Curtis Ellis, as they move from Boston to Greene, Iowa to grow and farm an acre of corn by themselves and the subsidized crop that drives our fast-food craze, corn. As Cheney and Ellis try to track their crop of corn into the food system, they found many troubling aspect which questioned how we eat and how we farm. Throughout this process, Cheney and Ellis investigate the effect of the increasing production of corn on American society, both physically and economically. Also, they highlighted on the role of government subsidies which encourages the enormous amount of corn grown. This film illustrates how industrialization in corn production abolished the typical family farm and replaced by much larger industrialized farms. These families are forced to give up their farms in order for industries to take over to start a mass production. The industrialized farms would produce approximately 200 bushels of corn per acre, which is the equivalent of 10,000 pounds or five tons. They also came across inhumane confined animal feeding operations, which would one day be killed for their meat and the heavy use of corn sweetener (high fructose syrup) may be linked to obesity and diabetes. Both Cheney and Ellis depict the necessity of industrialization in the North American food and produce system. They found that high fructose syrup is found in basically all industrialized...

Words: 337 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Dopamine Research Paper

...Funnel cakes, fried cheesecake, fried cookie dough; with all of the sweet options available at the state fair, it might be necessary to try a little bit of each! Although it may seem like a lot of food, it actually might not be too difficult of a task to accomplish. Sugar is an addictive compound, and many researchers have actually gone so far as to compare its addictive qualities to those of drugs. When sugar is consumed, a chemical in the brain called dopamine, known as a “happiness booster”, is released. Dopamine is the center of pleasure, and the consumption of sugar is one of the ways that it is released into the human body. Humans crave the feeling that is received upon consuming sugar; thus, they consume more. Dopamine fuels that craving,...

Words: 288 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Natural Sweetenters

...Agave may be one of the most popular natural sweeteners today, but its rise in popularity in the U.S. didn’t begin until around 2003. Now it’s commonly used as an alternative to sugar, honey, or maple syrup for cooking, baking, and sweetening everything from coffee to oatmeal. Agave nectar (or syrup) is produced from the agave plant – the same plant used to make tequila. It tastes similar to honey with a hint of molasses and is manufactured by extracting the juice from the plant’s core, which is then filtered, heated or treated with enzymes and concentrated until it becomes a syrupy liquid. Proponents of this natural sweetener claim that it’s a healthy alternative to sugar, honey, and other sweeteners because of its low glycemic index. It’s advertised as ideal for people who are watching their weight or folks with diabetes who are working to lower their blood sugar levels. But before you add agave nectar to your grocery list, here’s what the heck you need to know. Agave nectar contains up to 90 percent fructose. That’s significantly more than table sugar, which is 50 percent fructose (and 50 percent glucose) once it’s broken down by your body. Agave’s high fructose content gives it advantages and disadvantages. The good part first: Because fructose has a low glycemic index, agave doesn’t cause your blood sugars to spike as rapidly after eating it, which means it can temper the sugar rush that occurs after eating something sweet. And even though agave and white sugar contain...

Words: 504 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Effectiveness of Household Objects as Pimple Remover

...20-minute pimple remover is my investigatory project where I will use simple home remedies to remove pimples within 20 minutes. It is a combination of the sea salt method (where salt is used to dry up the pimple) with honey as a natural antiseptic. This experiment includes common household ingredients and objects such as salt, water, ice, honey, cotton balls and a small cup. Salt is used to dry up the upper part of the pimple, thus removing the redness. Honey, as I’ve stated in the previous paragraph, is a natural antiseptic and soothes and heals the skin. Honey is also a natural moisturizer. It is also anti-bacterial, which means it helps with wound healing and it even keeps the skin hydrated. And ice because it diminishes the pores thus, constricting the blood vessels beneath the skin of the pimple. (Ice is gently rubbed around the acne-infected area.) Problem Are common household objects such as salt and honey effective pimple removers? Hypothesis Salt and Honey will remove the pimple. Independent Variables Salt and Honey Dependent Variable The presence of the pimple. Control Group Age of the person the experiment was acted upon must be between 12-16 Only the pustule type of pimple is acted on Significance of the Study If salt and honey will effectively remove the pimple, we will no longer need to buy creams or ointments to remove pimples. Scope of the Study Limitations of the Study This study does not include the cause of the pimple. This...

Words: 1268 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Narrative Report

...using a tea strainer or ladle (these are natural impurities that will cause the pulled sugar to be dull and streaky). Bring to a boil, then add corn syrup and cream of tartar mixture. DO NOT STIR. Wash down pan sides with a wet pastry brush to prevent crystallization (keeping a lid on the pot as it comes to a boil will minimize crystallization). Repeat the skimming/washing 3-4 times until the sugar is nice and clear. place candy thermometer into syrup. Turn up heat to high. If desired, add color (powdered color dissolved into a little water) at 138C. Boil until the syrup reaches 150-157C The lower temperature is better for beginners because the sugar will be softer and easier to pull. the higher temp wil provide a more brilliant finished product. Isomalt for pulling/blowing  908g Isomalt 65g cup water 1g cream of tartar Ad all ingredients to clean pot. Cream of tartar is optional, but is better for beginners, as it makes for a softer, stretchier medium to work with. Stir over low heat to dissolve Isomalt. Bring to a boil. Place candy thermometer into syrup and raise heat to high. If desired, add color and/or flavor at 149C. Boil until the syrup reaches 171C. Preparing to pull  Pour syrup onto Silpat(s) or lightly oiled marble. As it cools, fold the outside edges toward the center. If desired, divide the sugar into portions and add some past color and/or candy flavoring and continue folding it to ensure even cooling. Continue folding until the sugar is cool enough to...

Words: 390 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Bees Are an Integral Part of Our Planet

...Name: Diellza Surname: Agolli Class: Environmental science NO MORE HONEY: WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF BEES WERE TO BECOME EXTINCT Introduction Bees are an integral part of our planet’s ecosystem. They pollinate up to one third of the crops on Earth (Ashraf, 2012) and are responsible for providing us with many of the foods on our dinner table each night. Einstein famously postulated that if bees were to become extinct, mankind would be soon to follow. Bees are facing colony collapse disorder, a situation where they leave their hives by either flying off or dying. This disorder resembles the mysterious disappearance of the Mayans centuries ago; do we want to follow in their footsteps? What Einstein was referring to in his famous quote is the symbiotic relationship of life on the planet. Since we all are part off an interconnected ecosystem where each element of our world plays an important role we should take care of each element. The percentage of bees disappearing is surprisingly high, for example in the U.S. 90% of the wild bees population has died out (Gerber, 2007). The U.S. is just one example - there are many bees dying out in Europe, such as the Netherlands and the United Kingdom where 80 percent of the bee population has gone missing (Gerber, 2007). According to Keith Tignor, the state apiarist for Virginia, beekeepers today are losing 25 percent of the beehive compared to 30 years ago when the rate was between 5 and 10 percent. The phenomenon of colony collapse...

Words: 1578 - Pages: 7

Free Essay

John Gardner Creative Writing

...Savino Brusco AP English Period 3 February 8, 2015 Gardner Writing Exercise 27 The Adventures of a Honey Badger For a very long time the honey badger was just a very ordinary animal. It was not until one badger, Melvin, decided it was time for a change that the honey badger came to be. Melvin was a modest fellow; he lived in a nest he built himself from lumber and clay with his beloved wife, Betsy, and his two children. This particular year it was especially tough for Melvin to forage honey from the hives. The bees had grown stronger and the painful stings kept Melvin from obtaining honey. Melvin began to become depressed, longing for sweet, sweet tender honey. Growing hungrier and hungrier as the days rolled on Melvin began to have difficulty finding food and fending off his family from the vicious venomous snakes. One night Melvin woke in the mist of the night by a terrifying sliver of snakes all around his nest. As they did every night the snakes tried to break into the nest. Melvin held his dear family close in his arms and prayed as hard as he could to the great Gods of Olympus, in hope of living to see another day. The next day, the snakes moved on, without breaking into Melvin’s threshold. It was only a matter of time before the walls of his nimble house would give in to the strength of the snakes. Melvin decided, for the sake of his family’s survival, that he had to speak to Zues, the Great God of the Animal Kingdom, to urge him to restore balance to living...

Words: 696 - Pages: 3